30 days of gratitude guaranteed to change your body chemistry

  November 4th, 2011 Volume 1, Issue 17

For some reason I am filled with gratitude right now. Perhaps it’s because Halloween has just passed us by and Thanksgiving will be in a few weeks that I feel more grateful than ever.

I’ve been practicing gratitude on a daily basis for many years now, and I teach it to all my clients as part of their healing. I think it’s awesome that we have a whole holiday dedicated to giving thanks.

For some, Thanksgiving has become all about the food and not so much about the gratitude.

My feature article is about surviving the holidays without compromising your health.

It’s a subject I feel passionate about.

I had the opportunity to speak twice lately about sugar and kids’ health. I surprised myself. Once I got on a roll, I became incredibly passionate expressing my feelings about sugar. You can catch one of these talks in my Vibrant Health radio show archives.

Since I’ve lost loved ones recently to cancer, and I know how much is being done to reverse cancer with natural methods, as shown on the Healing Cancer World Summit, I feel passionate sharing about the little things that can be done on a daily basis and the small changes you can make to not only protect your health, but skyrocket it.

It gives me so much pleasure to stay aligned with my desire to feel great, be fit, and share my passion to the world.

Finding gratitude for frustrations:

We all have our “things” we’re working on. No one is perfect. The best advice I can offer is to find those places in your life where your actions are out of alignment with your values and goals and take the steps to bring them together.

For me, it’s the sleep issue, and I am taking steps daily to optimize that part of my life, all the while congratulating myself on the small steps I’m taking rather than criticizing myself for the areas that still need work.

Live with gratitude for all you are, all you have, and the steps you are taking to make your body and this world a better place to live.

I appreciate you for giving me the space to share, and for being part of my life.

I’m starting a gratitude journal on my blog!

Every day for the next 30 days I will write about at least three things for which I feel appreciation. Care to join me?

Here’s the first entry.

Go here, read it, and comment with what you’re grateful for. If you do this daily for a month, you will see noticeable changes in your health. Don’t believe me? Give it a try.

Appreciation is scientifically proven to change your body chemistry for the better.

Love, health, joy and much appreciation,

By Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

I find it hard to believe it’s already November. Halloween is behind us, Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and a lot of food temptations lie between now and the new year.

Starting with the Halloween candy and ending with the New Year’s Eve champagne, with lots of turkey, cookies, and pumpkin pie in between, there’s no end to the opportunity for expanding your waistline and depleting your energy.

This time of year is filled with joy and fraught with anxiety. It’s the time of year where you just can’t seem to escape the mounds of tempting foods at every turn. Just making a decision to forgo the waist-widening treats is not enough.

You need to make a commitment.

You need to be so in love with your desired outcome that nothing will be allowed to get in your way. Most resolutions to change unhealthy habits give way to regret when the same old upset stomach, headache, and drained feeling replace the enthusiasm and wonder of a new routine.

The Top 3 Reasons Most People Fail to Meet their Health Goals:

I believe there are three main reasons people struggle and then ultimately give up. Thankfully, there are solutions for each reason.

1. Failing to deeply connect with your desired outcome.

When you are 100% committed to the outcome, and you’ve written it in clear and flowery language, taking detours is not an option. Just as you stay committed to your vacation location once you’ve made reservations and invested in a travel plan, you need to stay committed to your health destination. If an interesting distraction comes along en route to your vacation place, you are unlikely to get distracted if you have made a time and date commitment. The same feeling should hold for your health goals.

2. Failing to plan your strategy for handling tempting situations.

If you walk into a room filled with tables of your favorite foods, unless you have a deep commitment to your health and a strategy that allows you to say no to the food temptations while still enjoying yourself socially, you’re doomed to failure.

3. Failing to have quick and easy foods, exercise routines, and stress relief strategies.

Unless you can easily put together a satisfying meal quickly, exercise at every spare minute you have rather than requiring an hour workout, and can get yourself out of a stressful situation when you don’t have an hour to meditate or do yoga, in 3 minutes or less, you are likely to give up because it’s too hard.

There’s No Difference Between Today and January 1st.

Now is the time to commit to yourself, not January 1st. By then you could have packed on a serious number of pounds and created a lot of imbalances.

I know the foods around the holidays are especially tempting because of the emotional attachment you probably have to them. Proximity also plays a role; holiday foods surround us at every corner beginning in the weeks leading up to Halloween and gaining momentum until January 1st.

Here are a few of my tried and true strategies for waking up on New Year’s Day feeling energetic, alert, and fit.

1. Ween yourself from Halloween candy.

It’s too late for this year, but make a commitment for next year to forgo the bags and bags of Halloween candy you normally give the trick-or-treaters. They will collect way more candy than they need without your contribution. Instead, go to the dollar store or the party supply store and buy more long-lasting things to give the kids: pencils, superballs, whistles, and cool shaped erasers are just a few ideas.

Put them all in a big cauldron and let the kids choose. I find that the kids love it. Besides, you’ll be able to save the leftovers for next year, rather than having to eat them. If you still have any candy left over from the trick or treat stash, ceremoniously toss it into the trash.

2. Keep your fingers out of the candy bowl.

Sugar depletes your immune system, destroys your teeth, damages the insides of your blood vessels and can lead to brain fog and fatigue. Sugar also contributes to cancer. Learn some yummy, health supporting substitutions for favorite holiday foods. Recipes can be easily found for healthy and delicious holiday treats like chocolate spiders, pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving stuffing, gingerbread cookies and Hanukkah latkes.

3. Exercise at least 4 times a week.

Yes, I know you get busy with preparing for holidays, shopping, and going to parties, but this is not the time to let your exercise go. Think about it this way. Every mile you walk burns about 100 calories. The more you exercise, the more you can indulge without guilt.

Besides, the best exercise for fat burning is burst exercise, which takes bout 60 seconds per session. Add about 8 of those a day (8 minutes!) and the fat will start to melt away. Click here to access my burst training Youtube video.

4. Express gratitude every day.

Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to give thanks. Don’t wait until Christmas or Hanukkah to express your love and appreciation for those you hold dear. Give freely of yourself and it will come back exponentially.

Keep your sight on how you want to feel on January 1st, and refer to your goals whenever the temptations are about to carry you down the slippery slope to post-holiday blues.

Make more productive New Year’s resolutions, and start the year fit, trim, and joyful!

Once a month, you can join us LIVE in Austin, Texas for a local raw food potluck where you can:

• Meet like-minded people and make new friends.
• Learn new and exciting recipes.
• Gather valuable health and nutrition information.
• Feel supported on your health quest.

Click HERE to learn more about the event and find out all the details on what to bring and what to expect.

You can attend our Raw Food University Classes live and in person and get to sample the delicious raw food recipes or learn to make these dishes from the comfort of your own home.

Either way, you get a recipe guide e-book and fully indexed online video class you can watch over and over.

• December 10th, 2011 – Party and Potluck Nibbles that Nourish

Check back here soon for more details to be announced!

Presented by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, Karen Osborne, and Pamela Weems

Whether you’re entertaining for the holidays or looking for that perfect dish to take to a party or potluck, you’ll find a recipe in this class that will raise eyebrows and delight taste buds!

Not only will these dishes meet all your expectations when it comes to elegance and taste, they also come with a fat-pant-busting guarantee that you won’t pack on the extra holiday pounds when you stick to these dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free whole food options.

Register for this class and learn how to make nourishing and nutritious holiday dishes that will make your next party platter a hit including:

• healthy hor d’oeuvres
• fresh finger foods
• appetite-friendly appetizers
• to-die-for desserts that boost longevity

Remember, all recipes are made with 100% gluten free, dairy free whole fresh foods – no sugar, no processed oils, no grains, and no cooking!

You never have to worry about missing a class! All of our delicious, health-boosting Raw Food University classes are recorded. You can access videos and recipes in PDF format for any of our past classes including:

• Holiday Feasts
• Sweets for the Holidays
• Eating for Hormone Balance
• One Dish Meals

You’ll find a complete list of past classes available HERE.

Dr. Ritamarie’s Vibrant Health Solutions Radio Show: combining experience, education, and practical advice to make healthful eating fun again! Click here to learn more.

Future Show Schedule:

• Thursday, November 10th – Dr. Linda Berry: Find Your Way Back to Health
• Thursday, November 17th – Feast Your Way to Health
• Thursday, November 24th – (No show)
  

You’ll find a wealth of free natural health resources when you visit our radio shows archive!  Look for the most recent shows in the sidebar of the Vibrant Health Solutions Radio Show homepage.

Here are the latest shows we’ve added:

Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, MS, DC, CCN, DACBN, has been an integrative health care practitioner for over two decades, empowering her patients and students to overcome health challenges and lead a joyful and healthy life.

By Ritamarie Loscalzo

This zesty Spicy Cranberry Relish dish is an aromatic and taste bud adventure that won’t leave you with that crawl-under-the-kitchen-table-and-nap feeling.

It’s just one of the delicious recipes you’ll find in my Thanksgiving Feast recipe collection. In addition to my various cranberry relish recipes, my collection has all the ideas you need to create a healthy alternative Thanksgiving dinner with recipes like:

• Apricot Pecan Yams
• Herbed Mashed “Potatoes” with Mushroom Gravy
• Savory Stuffing
• Pumpkin Pie
• and many more!

Spicy Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 oranges
• 1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 – 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root (about a 1/2 – 1 inch piece)
• 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar or 2 large dates
  

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into food processor and process until almost smooth.
2. Adjust for desired sweetness with additional dried fruit or agave nectar.

Do you have a great raw food recipe you’d like to share? Submit your recipe at: https://drritamarie.com/wp-clone/newslettercontributions/

“Would you like to learn more simple strategies to achieving vibrant energy, a strong lean body and an extraordinary life? Check out my web site, www.DrRitamarie.com, for free articles, free resources and to sign up for my free report 7 Simple Steps to Energizing Your Life… in as little as 30 Days.

Internationally recognized speaker, author and mentor, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo is the “Woman’s Fatigue Expert and Vibrant Health Mentor.”